THE HUNT

Two

"Keep moving." Maeve pushes me in the back, and I cry out, falling to my knees. This journey to wherever the Supreme Leader is might be the worst form of torture yet. The remaining clothes that he hadn't cut through have been removed, and I've been stripped down to almost nothing. I suspect that the path he's chosen to bring me to our destination is purposely the most populated. Lieutenants, Admirals, and stormtroopers stop to watch me pass, taking in my bruised and battered body. My wrists are chained together, as well as my ankles, forcing me to shuffle. He grabs my hair, wrenching me back to my feet. Tears prick at my eyes, and I cry out. "Move." He hisses into my ear. I reluctantly continue my half walk, half shuffle.

"Hunter?" I turn, heart dropping. In the doorway of a room, I see a familiar face. One with shaggy, sandy hair, and pale skin.

"Casius." I hiss. He almost looks relieved, but that's not the first thing I notice. I notice the glint in his eye, the healthy flush in his cheeks, the absence of gaping, ugly wounds, and the clothes he's dressed in. "You filthy traitor!" I lunge towards him, but Maeve grabs my arm, pushing me forward again. "I'm sure betraying the cause was nothing to you!" I shout.

"Hunter-" He stops himself. "They just wanted to know our names." He says, watching me as I struggle.

"And the base locations!" I shout. "What else did you tell them?"

"Shut up." Maeve is half dragging me now.

       "You worthless double-crossing-" A blow across the back of my head silences me, and I shoot one last glare at Casius before he steps back into the room, eyes turned to the ground.

It's a quiet walk from then as I sit silently in my fury.

Panic doesn't truly set in until we stand in front of a door, and it slides open to reveal a man sitting on top of a twisted, obsidian throne. I force a scoff.

    A little over the top, don't you think?

He looks up, setting down a datapad. I steel myself, forcing my gaze to his.

He's more human than I expected, with dark, wavy hair that reaches his shoulders, and pale skin accented with dark eyes.

He doesn't look like the monster he is.

"Welcome." He waves a hand in my direction, then frowns. "Why is she not clothed?"

"I- Sir?" Maeve looks terrified at the slightest expression from the Supreme Leader.

"Get her some clothes." He orders. The man beside me hesitates.

"Supreme Leader, I don't have any with me."

"Then use the clothes on your own back." He hisses.

"Yes, Supreme Leader." He says reluctantly, shrugging off his long overcoat. I wrap it around my shoulders, body stiff.

"Now," The man leans forward. "What's your name?"

"Hunter, Sir." Mave bows his head.

Then his hands reach for his throat, and he makes a gagging sound.

"Did I ask you?"

"No-" He gasps. "No Sir." He falls to his knees gasping for air.

"Now." The Supreme Leader stands from his throne, descending the dais. "Hunter, was it?" I say nothing, still staring at him. He keeps walking until he's right in front of me, and I see how massive he is. His hands are twice the size of mine, and he's nearly three heads taller than me. "Come, walk with me." He offers his arm, but I ignore it. Then he removes his cloak, offering that as well. I watch him silently, not moving. He drapes it across my shoulders, surprisingly gentle. Then his gaze goes to my restraints. He waves his hand, and they fall to the ground. "Come." He says again, gesturing for Maeve to leave.

Once my torturer leaves, door closing behind him, I throw myself at the man before me. Before I can even touch him, I freeze. He clicks his tongue.

"Monster." I hiss as he lowers himself to my level.

"Hunter, I don't want to hurt you."

"Right." I force a laugh. "That's why you've had me tortured for the past three months." He angles his head.

"I only found out about you yesterday." He says, drawing back. "Lengthy torture is not my preferred method." He begins to walk towards the door, and my feet move, as if forced to follow him. "I could enter your mind, shatter it if I wanted to, in order to get the information I want." He doesn't look back. "But that's not what I want." The door slides open, and my legs carry me out into the hallway.

"Liar." I hiss. He glances in my direction.

"What have I done to hurt you, Hunter?" We pass through a doorway.

"You had me tortured!" I cry. He frowns.

"No, no that was Snoke." I open my mouth to respond, but no words come out for a long moment.

"You-you're not Snoke?"

"Hm." The now mystery man hums, humour glinting in his eyes. "You truly have been kept locked away for the past few months." He continues walking, and my blood chills. "I only came to power a week ago, after killing him."

"Who are you?" I demand.

"My name is Kylo Ren," He says, opening a door, which my body carries me through. "And you, Hunter, are my guest." He gestures to the small room we've entered. There's a cot on one wall, and a small closet on the other. A small table set for one person sits in the centre of the room, lonely. There's not much else, but it's more than I've had for weeks.

"You're stupid if you think that I'll give up my cause because you've offered me clothes and a room." I growl. "You could offer me the galaxy, and I wouldn't help you." His eyes flash, and he crosses the room in a single stride, his long fingers gripping my face.

"You're not even worthy to hold a rock from my galaxy." He sneers. Terror rips through me, but I'm only reminded of why this mission is so important.
Liberation from this monster.

"A rock won't work either." I say, forcing a coolness to my voice that most certainly does not mirror the feeling in my chest. His face hardens, and his grip tightens, my jaw creaking under his touch.

He's strong. Even if I wanted to, I could never face him hand to hand in combat.

Suddenly, his eyes soften into uninterest.

"You'll tell me what I want eventually." He says, his touch turning to a languid sweep underneath my chin. "You'll soon come to realize just how much pain a single person can experience." Then he steps away, towards the exit. "But we'll save that for tomorrow, yes?" He ignores my glare as the door slides open. "Mee jewz ju, Hunter. Sleep well, you'll need it."